This season, Shandong Taishan's performance in the Chinese Super League has not been satisfactory, but since Cui Kangxi took over, the team has a new look. However, there is still a gap between the team and the leading position in the table. With the opening of the transfer window, Shandong Taishan plan to make a key reinforcement. Shandong Taishan have reportedly decided to re-sign Brazilian striker Leonardo. Last year, he was briefly loaned to Changchun Yatai, and now he is inching closer to a return to the Shandong stage this summer.
According to "Changchun Orange Breeze" and other media, Shandong Taishan will soon welcome Leonardo back, while Changchun Yatai is looking for a new foreign aid to fill the gap. This week, the two teams will face off at the home of Changchun Yatai. According to the player avoidance rule, Leonardo, who is on loan from Shandong Taishan, should not be involved in this game, which may be his swansong at Changchun Yatai.
Leonardo is having an eye-catching season in the Chinese Super League, scoring 10 goals so far to lead the league's top scorers. He is expected to win the Golden Boot Award of the Chinese Super League this season. At the beginning of the season, Shandong Taishan loaned him to Changchun Yatai, a decision that once became a sore point for Shandong fans and a point of contention for former coach Hao Wei. Now, Shandong Taishan's choice seems to be a correction of past decision-making mistakes and means that some of the mistakes of Hao Wei's era will be corrected.
From a technical and tactical point of view, the return of Leonardo and the addition of Cressan will keep Shandong Taishan's forward line at the top of the Chinese Super League for some time to come. Meanwhile, Leonardo's return naturally fills a foreigner slot as Son Junho has been removed from the team roster. Choi Kang-hee, during his time at Jeonbuk Hyundai, has excelled in utilizing South American strikers like Leonardo, who is technically versatile and has an excellent running game. Now, the scorer's return to Shandong proves that Choi's promise to lead the team to a top-three finish, as he claimed at the start of his tenure, was not just empty talk.
